Foundation Warranties Exposed
Your foundation warranty may very well be the single most important part of your foundation
repair project yet it is usually the most overlooked.
Lifetime Transferable Warranty
What exactly does that mean? What is the lifetime? Can it expire if your forget to do something
like, pay a fee when your transfer it to the buyer of your home.
What You Want In A Foundation Warranty
From my experience, the shorter the warranty the better. Come on, how much text does it take
to say:
"I guarantee that your warranty is properly repaired."
"I guarantee that if it ever fails I will repair it at not additional charge."
"I guarantee that I will keep repairing it if something fails for as long as you or
anyone else owns the home.
All you can add beyond that is Exclusions. Let me tell you I have seen warranties that
are several pages long and by the time you get through all of the Exclusions you might
just as well not have a warranty at all. If your foundation repair salesperson shows
you one of these, tell him to, well you know...
Hidden Costs
Another area where you can get burned if you do not carefully read your warranty is
in the area of hidden costs. I have seen all sorts of things like a fee to transfer
the warranty to a new owner. This one usually comes with a stipulation that if the
fee is not paid within 30 days of transfer the warranty becomes null and void.
Another common hidden cost is that although the repairs are guaranteed there is an
"Adjustment Fee." What a deal, the company provides a warranty and gets paid to honor
it. That is really great, for the foundation repair company, but you get the shaft!
The Missing Warranty
When the salesman comes to give you an estimate and you ask about his warranty, notice
that he will probably not pull a copy out for your to look at. He will in all probability
proudly proclaim "we provide a lifetime transferable warranty."
When he does, tell him that is wonderful, you want a copy to admire while he is doing
your inspection. The odds are that he will tell you that "he is our of them at the
moment."
Your salesperson knows that nothing will kill the sale quicker than a warranty full of
exclusions and hidden costs. You can be sure you will not get a chance to examine it
before the sales pitch is complete.
There are numerous other hazards in the typical foundation warranty that you must
look out for. There are new ones cropping up every day. It can be very difficult
to catch them all, be careful, your money is at risk.
Need Help?
I offer Foundation Consulting Services to Texas homeowners living in
Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin and surrounding areas.
I can help you save money and avoid making costly mistakes. My service fee
is reasonable. Your satisfaction is 100% Guaranteed.
If you want to learn more fill out my Contact Form
or call me at
713-826-5035.
